N.B. says all nursing home residents have received COVID-19 booster shot; reports 52 new cases Tuesday
Health officials in New Brunswick are reporting 52 new COVID-19 cases and 33 recoveries on Tuesday, as the total number of active cases in the province rises to 523.
Tuesday's new cases were identified in the following zones:
- 27 new cases in the Moncton region (Zone 1)
- Nine new cases in the Saint John region (Zone 2)
- Eight new cases in the Fredericton region (Zone 3)
- Eight new cases in the Miramichi region (Zone 7)
“The continued increase in cases in Zone 1, the Moncton region, is concerning,” said Dr. Jennifer Russell, chief medical officer of health in a release. “The circuit breaker measures work, but only if everyone follows them. I encourage people in this region and across the province to do everything within their power to protect themselves and their loved ones.”
According to health officials, 34 of Tuesday's 52 new cases, or 65 per cent, are unvaccinated. One case, or two per cent, are partially vaccinated, and 17 cases, or 33 per cent, are fully vaccinated.
The province says there are currently 16 people in hospital in New Brunswick due to COVID-19, with 10 in an intensive care unit. Of those currently in hospital, 13 are unvaccinated, and three are fully vaccinated.
Of the 10 people in the ICU, nine are unvaccinated, and one is fully vaccinated.
BOOSTER DOSES FOR NURSING HOME RESIDENTS COMPLETED
New Brunswick health officials say they have completed the rollout of booster doses of the COVID-19 vaccine for residents at nursing homes in the province.
"The process continues at adult residential facilities, with 82 per cent complete. The rest of those facilities will be done by the end of the month," says the province in a release.
“We know residents of these facilities are more vulnerable to COVID-19 if they catch it,” added Russell in a release. “By providing boosters to these residents, we can improve their protection and reduce the risk of them being hospitalized or becoming severely ill.”
Since COVID-19 booster vaccines were made available earlier this fall for vulnerable populations and those who originally had AstraZeneca, N.B. Health Minister Dorothy Shephard says uptake has been good.
"I can't give you the AstraZeneca numbers I don't have those with me today but I do know that since Sept 24, we've given 7,884 boosters,” said Shephard. “That's going to include long term care, first nations, immunocompromised and medical professional staff who received their vaccinations early,".
Some pharmacists say they have received calls from people who want to have matching vaccine doses.
"There's a lot of people looking for booster shots, lots of phone calls at the pharmacy,” said Ryan Quinn, Pharmacist and Owner Kings Place Lawtons.
"There's a number of people that want to have two consecutive vaccines that are the same for travel purposes, the U.S. has changed, some countries will allow but some still won't approve two mixed doses, so there's a lot of people looking for that reason, and there's a lot of people who are just concerned and want to make sure that they're protected as possible against COVID-19.”
CASE DATA
New Brunswick has had 6,865 cumulative cases of COVID-19 since the start of the pandemic.
In total, 6,220 people have recovered and 121 people have died in the province from COVID-19.
Public health says a total of 532,024 COVID-19 tests have been processed since the start of the pandemic.
The number of cases are broken down by New Brunswick’s seven health zones:
- Zone 1 – Moncton region: 2,054 confirmed cases (218 active cases)
- Zone 2 – Saint John region: 781 confirmed cases (99 active cases)
- Zone 3 – Fredericton region: 1,340 confirmed cases (63 active cases)
- Zone 4 – Edmundston region: 1,450 confirmed cases (21 active cases)
- Zone 5 – Campbellton region: 683 confirmed cases (20 active cases)
- Zone 6 – Bathurst region: 291 confirmed cases (2 active cases)
- Zone 7 – Miramichi region: 266 confirmed cases (100 active cases)
With more than half of Tuesday's new cases reported in the Moncton region, opposition politicians are concerned about the continued spread despite the circuit breaker measures.
"In my area in Zone One, there's certainly something that needs to be looked into, where you have constantly between 25 and what 35 cases daily, I've actually asked public health to dive deeper into the situation over there," Roger Melanson, leader of N.B. Liberal party.
Circuit breakers remain in parts of the Moncton and Saint John regions.
"It's very worrisome, what is happening there compared to where the circuit breaker worked in the Upper River Valley and Edmundston and Restigouche areas," added David Coon, leader of N.B. Green Party. "Something's fundamentally different going on in Moncton that needs to be addressed."
VACCINE UPDATE
As of Tuesday, 86.1 per cent of New Brunswickers age 12 and older are fully vaccinated and 92.9 per cent have received their first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine.
In total, 1,246,187 vaccine doses have been administered in New Brunswick.
All provincial government employees, staff in long-term care facilities and staff and volunteers in schools and licensed early learning and child-care facilities must be fully vaccinated by Friday, Nov. 19.
All eligible New Brunswickers can book their second dose appointments now for a date that is at least 28 days after their first dose.
CASES IN SCHOOLS AND CHILD-CARE FACILITIES
New Brunswick Health officials say 68 early learning and child-care facilities have had confirmed cases of COVID-19 since Sept. 7.
You can find information on cases in schools on the Healthy and Safe Schools website and the COVID-19 dashboard.
POTENTIAL PUBLIC EXPOSURES
A full list of potential COVID-19 exposure notifications in New Brunswick can be found on the province's website.
Anyone with symptoms of the virus, as well as anyone who has been at the site of a possible public exposure, is urged to request a test online or call Tele-Care at 811 to get an appointment.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
NEW 'Ugly produce': One way Canadians are shrinking rising grocery bills
As the cost of food in Canada has risen, grocery shoppers are looking at ways to reduce their grocery bill, and more are choosing price over beauty, turning to companies that deliver so-called 'misfit' produce at a fraction of the cost.
Think twice before sharing 'heartbreaking' social media posts, RCMP warn
Mounties in B.C. are urging people to think twice before sharing "heartbreaking posts" on social media.
DEVELOPING 122 active wildfires burning across Canada, 32 considered 'out of control'
The 2024 wildfire season has begun, and it's shaping up to follow last year's unprecedented destruction in kind, with thousands of square kilometres already consumed.
B.C. parents sentenced to 15 years for death of 6-year-old boy
A British Columbia Supreme Court judge has sentenced the mother and stepfather of a six-year-old boy who died from blunt-force trauma in 2018 to 15 years in prison.
Veteran TSN sportscaster Darren Dutchyshen has died
Veteran TSN broadcaster Darren 'Dutch' Dutchyshen, one of Canada’s best-known sports journalists, has died. He was 57. His family says 'he passed as he was surrounded by his closest loved ones.'
Miller scores late as Canucks grind out 3-2 win over Oilers in Game 5
J.T. Miller scored in the final minute of the game and the Vancouver Canucks came back for a 3-2 victory over the Edmonton Oilers in Game 5 of their second-round playoff series Thursday.
Police issue Canada-wide warrant for Regina homicide suspect
Police have issued a Canada-wide warrant for a man wanted in a homicide which occurred in Regina on May 12.
Trudeau calls New Brunswick's Conservative government a 'disgrace' on women's rights
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau assailed New Brunswick's premier and other conservative leaders on Thursday, calling out the provincial government's position on abortion, LGBTQ youth and climate change.
Kevin Spacey receives star support as he fights to get his career back
Kevin Spacey is pushing back on the 'rush to judgment' against him and is being backed by some big names as he seeks to reclaim his acting career.